Netflix’s Best Fantasy TV Shows Will Take You to Magical Realms, Far and Wide

With Wednesday, Tim Burton has found further gold to mine in the Addams Family story canon. The series follows Wednesday Addams, played with deadpan delight by Jenna Ortega, as she’s sent off to attend Nevermore Academy — the school for outcasts. Throughout the first season, Wednesday investigates a murder mystery plaguing the school and the nearby town of Jericho. She may not make friends easily, but she definitely leaves her mark (as does the program).

Based on the Vertigo comic book of the same name, Sweet Tooth takes place post-pandemic in a dystopian future where human babies are born with animal characteristics. These « Hybrids » are vilified by the general public and blamed for the extinction-level event known as « The Great Crumble. » Our hero is a half-boy/half-deer Hybrid named Gus (Christian Convery) who goes on a journey to find his long-lost mother and, potentially, a cure.

Eiichiro Oda’s One Piece is a global phenomenon. The hit anime got the live-action works on Netflix and, thanks to the insight provided by Oda, this One Piece instantly became a hit with fans the world over. The fun collective performances of the cast and the program’s immersive world-building and action-packed vibe proved that a live-action adaptation can absolutely work.
The program, like the anime and manga before it, follows Monkey D. Luffy (Iñaki Godoy) as he pursues his dream to become a pirate and find Gol D. Roger’s legendary treasure know as, wait for it, the One Piece.

Inspired by the comic books written by Joe Hill (Stephen King’s son) and illustrated by Gabriel Rodríguez, Locke and Key follows the Locke family as they attempt to pick up the pieces after the unit’s patriarch is mysteriously murdered. They move back to Keyhouse, their ancestral home, and soon, weird things begin to happen. The three Locke siblings — Tyler, (Connor Jessup) Kinsey (Emilia Jones) and Bode (Jackson Robert Scott) — and their mother, Nina (Darby Stanchfield), discover keys that unlock all sorts of magical secrets that could give the answers behind their father’s death.

Lockwood & Co. is based on the book series by Jonathan Stroud. The YA genre series follows three young paranormal investigators who fight ghost threats on behalf of their burgeoning psychic detection agency in London. The sharp dialogue and chemistry between the three leads — Lucy Carlyle, Anthony Lockwood and George Karim — make this program a fun binge.

The Witcher stars Henry Cavill as Geralt of Rivia, the program’s titular hero. Based on the books by Andrzej Sapkowski — which first inspired the popular video game franchise — the Netflix show follows the adventures of Geralt as he hunts monsters. Thanks to the detailed world-building and ensemble performances, The Witcher is a must-watch for any fans of the fantasy genre. 

Cavill left the series after season 3, with Liam Hemsworth taking over the role.

The Sandman hails from the broodingly brilliant mind of Neil Gaiman. Inspired by the characters and storylines from his beloved DC comic book series, the program follows Morpheus (Tom Sturridge), aka the King of Dreams, aka Dream, as he ventures through multiple worlds and timelines to retrieve items stolen from him, rebuild his power, and save The Dreaming — aka his home. 

The show’s cast is stacked with impressive talent, including Charles Dance, Jenna Coleman, Boyd Holbrook, Gwendoline Christie, Patton Oswalt, Mark Hamill, Stephen Fry, David Thewlis, Kirby Howell-Baptiste, Vivienne Acheampong and Mason Alexander Park. 

Dead Boy Detectives is the second series within Neil Gaiman’s Sandman universe to come to Netflix. The spin-off follows two teenage dead boys — George Rexstrew plays Edwin Payne and Jayden Revri is Charles Rowland — who decided the afterlife was for suckers and instead joined forces to solve supernatural mysteries.

Based on Daniel « Lemony Snicket » Handler’s hit YA book series, Netflix’s A Series of Unfortunate Events follows Violet (Malina Weissman), Klaus (Louis Hynes) and Sunny Baudelaire (Presley Smith) — three unlucky orphans who face a headwind of challenges as they seek to unveil the truth about their parents. If only that greedy Count Olaf (Neil Patrick Harris) would stop getting in their way. 

Arcane is an animated series that effortlessly elevates the genre. Inspired by the immensely popular League of Legends, the program explores the origin story of two iconic characters from the video game. In the process, this beautifully animated program unpacks heavy issues like class warfare and trauma.

Shadow and Bone takes inspiration from Leigh Bardugo’s popular Grishaverse novel series. The show follows Alina Starkov (Jessie Mei Li), a young woman who learns she has special abilities. Discovering she’s a Grisha (or magic-user) is just the beginning of her adventure as she’s faced with the huge responsibility of bringing peace to a war-torn universe.

Netflix continues its effort to make the perfect live-action adaptation of a hit anime. Avatar: The Last Airbender pursues story beats familiar from the animated series and follows young Aang, who discovers he’s the last Airbender — the proverbial chosen one who can control the four major elements: air, fire, water and earth. Netflix found enough promise in the fledgling project to renew it for a second and third season.

Castlevania hails from comic book writer Warren Ellis and takes inspiration from the Konami video games Castlevania III: Dracula’s Curse, Castlevania: Curse of Darkness and Castlevania: Symphony of the Night. The series follows heroes Trevor Belmont (Richard Armitage), Alucard (James Callis) and Sypha Belnades (Alejandra Reynoso) as they fight Dracula and underlings. With an aesthetic that honors the Konami games; compelling writing; and heaps of blood-soaked action, this is a worthy title to add to your watch list.

Warrior Nun takes its inspiration from Ben Dunn’s comic book Warrior Nun Areala. The series follows Ava Silva, a young woman who wakes up in a morgue with superpowers and a divine artifact stuck in her back. Her journey of self-discovery reveals a new purpose in life: to battle demons and other such hell-beasts on Earth. Why? Because she’s now a member of an ancient sect of supernatural nuns known as the Order of the Cruciform Sword. 

It’s a bonkers bloody thrill-ride that lasted two seasons on the streamer — meaning it won’t take too long for you to binge right through it.

Matt Groening, creator of animation giants The Simpsons and Futurama, brought his unique sensibilities to Netflix with Disenchantment. The five-season series takes viewers back to medieval Europe and a fictional kingdom named Dreamland. The show follows the misadventures of the rebellious, often-drunk princess Bean (Abbie Jacobson), her demon sidekick Luci (Eric André) and their elf pal Elfo (Nat Faxon) as they galavant through neighboring lands, confront bizarre characters and uncover an overarching conspiracy.

The Dark Crystal: Age of Resistance is the prequel series to the 1982 Jim Henson cult classic The Dark Crystal. The program follows three brave Gelfling — Rian, Brea and Deet — as they spark a rebellion against the Skesksi race after learning the truth about the source of their rulers’ power. The series relied heavily on practical effects and puppetry and kept the use of CGI to a minimum. Due to the production costs, the show was canceled after one season. But boy, what a wonderful season it is.

The Chilling Adventures of Sabrina is a supernatural YA series created by Roberto Aguirre-Sacasa, the chief creative officer of Archie Comics. He’s the same person who brought Riverdale to the CW, which makes sense considering the similar tone both programs have. This Sabrina, unlike ’90s sitcom Sabrina the Teenage Witch, delves heavily into the occult. It’s a wonderfully mature take on the character, and it planted the seeds for what the streamer could do with original programming in the genre. Basically, Sabrina walked so Wednesday could run.